Prof. Larry Sita's new plastics technology could be used in a wide range of applications.

As the world turns greener, the chemical industry is under increasing pressure to assure the general public that chemicals found in plastics are not adversely affecting the environment and public health. A plethora of recent media stories and exposés have highlighted the ill effects of plastics on infants and adults alike. As a result, consumers are becoming more educated about the effects of chemical additives found in plastics and are demanding better accountability. It's no coincidence that agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Centers for Disease Control & Protection, and the Food and Drug Administration, among others, are all taking a more proactive approach to protect the public welfare.

Plastics have become so integrated into daily routines and our lives that sometimes we don't appreciate how pervasive they are. From the products we drink to the cars we drive to our computer workstations, plastic is everywhere. Some dangerous plastic additives have been banned globally and the industry has been looking for alternatives. The European Union (EU) recently approved a new enforcement regime called Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) aimed at increasing disclosure from companies. EU countries and those that wish to trade with the EU must prove the chemical substances they market or use are safe, or that the benefits outweigh any risks.

Some progressive U.S. states have considered a similar version of this law. California, in particular, has been considering a similar proposal, and, if enacted, it could set the stage for the rest of the country since the state tends to set environmental and safety trends. This is a hot-button issue and it is not lost on manufactures and regulators, as well, that this is presidential election year. There is some real consumer momentum to pressure regulators to review how they are testing and regulating chemical additives in plastics.

When Prof. Larry Sita first arrived at the University of Maryland Department Department of Chemistry and Biology in 1999, he decided that he was at a point in his life where he wanted to tackle something big. For the past eight years, Sita has been working on a revolutionary invention to produce pure plastics that have a variety of attributes while requiring no chemical additives or blends. "I knew what had plagued other researchers, but I was emboldened in that each year I increasingly made more progress," he says. "Then, six months ago I realized that we could do this."

Sita recently applied and was accepted to the University of Maryland's Venture Accelerator, part of the engineering school's MTECH Enterprise Institute. The Venture Accelerator's focus is to provide advice from experienced business professionals to researchers, faculty and grad students who have developed inventions with high potential for commercialization through startup companies. "I'm very excited about the clean technology applications for the plastics industry," says Jim Chung, director of the Venture Accelerator.

In November 2007, Sita pitched his new invention, "Living Degenerative Transfer Ziegler-Natta Polymerization" to nine venture capitalists from Maryland and Virginia during the University of Maryland's Bioscience Day mini-venture capital fair. He won top honors and wide acclaim by the attending firms. "There is a real chance to commercialize this," Chung says, and he should know. Chung has eight years of venture capital, private equity and mergers and acquisitions experience, working with companies from seed stage formation to acquisition.

New Opportunities
The "Living Degenerative Transfer Ziegler-Natta Polymerization" approach produces a form of plastics using no chemical additives. This plastics technology would enable the production of a greater range of related products with different grades to allow for more elasticity, clarity, durability, rigidity and adhesiveness. "What excites me so much about this technology is that not only does it provide access to a whole range of viscosity properties, but the materials are 100 percent recyclable as well," he says. The unique attributes are derived by altering the catalyst and the conditions in the reactor, allowing plastics to be produced to a manufacturer's specified needs.

Although plastic ingredients are found in countless products, this breakthrough is revolutionary because it provides a new paradigm in plastics technology. Sita feels there are real opportunities for large manufacturers to revolutionize the way they produce plastics to increase their viscosity. For instance, the construction industry could benefit by altering PVC piping to be more durable, and the medical industry could also benefit tremendously in surgeries and diagnostics. "From a commercial standpoint this new plastic would allow for greater flexibility for a wide range of products."

From a consumer standpoint, the fact that this plastic would be produced with no chemical additives would strike a chord. Consumers and other stakeholders are demanding that companies become more socially conscious and take more of a cradle-to-grave approach to ensure their products aren't adversely impacting the environment and public health. Plastics manufacturers are keenly aware of these pressures and are diligently pursuing options to lessen both environmental and public health impact.

Sita is grateful to of the University of Maryland for giving him the time to do the research for and helping to provide the R&D funding. "While still a faculty member with teaching duties, they still provided me this opportunity to stoke my entrepreneurial ambitions," he says.

So what's next? He sees an opportunity to provide these new raw materials as a supplier to the big manufacturers. "They need the technology and I can bring the product to scale depending on the need," he says. "I would like to build the market for the medical plastics industries and for specialty oils, inks and waxes."

Sita is now working on his business plan, which includes licensing the technology to his own Maryland-based startup company. Dr. Gayatri Varma, acting executive director of the University of Maryland's office of technology commercialization, immediately recognized the potential of Sita's invention to transform the plastics industry, and encouraged the development of a startup company.

"With the eight years Dr. Sita has put into the project, and the collaborative efforts of our office and the Venture Accelerator Program, Dr. Sita has the unique technical knowledge, and business and legal guidance, to see this invention to a fully realized product. We are pleased that Dr. Sita has decided to develop his product in Maryland, where it will undoubtedly do much to boost the local economy, and increase the visibility of the University's entrepreneurial culture"

Sita feels the new technology will give manufacturers a clear advantage. As oil prices continue to skyrocket, this technology doesn't depend on oil-based sources. The bottom line: Companies who incorporate this new technology into their plastics production will save money, pollute less and provide better confidence to stakeholders regarding public health concerns.